This Year is About the Journey

I have spent quite a bit of time at the end of 2013 and early 2014 looking at my goals for the year. I had decided I wanted to focus on one word for 2014.  I scribbled words in notebooks, my journal, my computer and I kept coming back to a verse.  The verse is Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

2013 was a tough year, probably the toughest in 21 years and if you know anything about the last 6 or 18 years of my life that is saying something. At times I felt out of place, not myself, without focus, without purpose, I didn't know what to think or do.  There is one thing that I do know though? Life is about the journey, not the destination.  It is what we learn and who we become along the way to reaching and achieving our goals.  I have questioned over and over and over my path, what am I supposed to do, who am I supposed to help and how am I supposed to do it.  I have asked God this question 1,000 times this past year and as I kept pondering the New Year this verse kept popping in my head.  You see I'm a planner, I like it all in the calendar or spreadsheet neatly planned out and ready to go and this verse tells me I am not the one in control of the plan.  What do I do with THAT?  Well, I finally decided to let go.  Let go of the plan, let go of 2013 and let God.  Because frankly what else is there to do, clearly I don't want a repeat of last year.

So my word to focus on in 2014 is - Journey.  I plan to focus on the journey of what God has planned for me. I am going to be disciplined enough to listen and follow through on His plan with real intention.  I am going to seek him out so I know that I am on the path that he has laid out for me.  I don't know where it's going to take me yet, but I do know that I don't have to worry because it's in his hands.

Now what this doesn't mean is that I will sit back in my lounge chair, day after day and wait to hear his voice.  What it does mean is I will listen as I set my goals, act when my gut tells me to do something and when I am sure about his plans I will work with intention of achieving those goals 100%.

One goal I have this year is to read the Bible in its entirety in chronological order, so far that has been a lot of fun.  I have a separate journal just for goals, quotes, words, verses and pictures for my 2014 path.  I am letting go and just letting God take control. Will I stumble along the way? I have no doubt, but I also know one other thing about me, I ALWAYS get up, I dust myself off and I move forward. 

So this year, I will enjoy the journey. I will take time to appreciate, I will sit back and rest when I need to and I will go 110% with my hair on fire when I need to and I can honestly say, I am looking forward to it all.  Let the journey begin!!